1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a viewing recommendation apparatus and method, which make recommendation of programs the user might want to view based on broadcast programs and stored content (stored programs) in a TV reception, storage, and playback system which allows the user to view multi-channel broadcast programs, and comprises a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or the like which can store previous broadcast programs.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, direct broadcasting by satellite has prevailed in addition to terrestrial TV broadcasting, and TV broadcasting has entered a full-scale multi-channel era. Conventionally, programs to view are searched by browsing the TV schedule in the newspaper or program guides. However, with this method, programs that the user wants to view may often be missed. Using an electronic program guide (EPG) provided by the broadcast signal or a web site (iEPG) that allows the user to browse the EPG on the Internet, programs are searched using a genre- or keyword-based search function provided by the EPG or iEPG. On some iEPG sites, a push function that notifies programs which match genres and keywords registered in advance via e-mail is implemented.
Simultaneously with the multi-channel era, recorders which comprise a large-capacity storage such as an HDD have prevailed in place of the conventional VTR. There are two roles of the recorder at home: (1) an archiver used to view already viewed programs later again and (2) temporary storage of programs which cannot be viewed due to absence, program clash, other business to attend to, and the like at the time of broadcasting. Since a new recorder with a large-capacity storage is convenient, i.e., it does not require tape exchange, and has much higher recording quality than the VTR, it produces a large change in the role of (2). That is, in the era of VTR, a negative use “to be obliged to store programs that cannot be viewed at the time of broadcast” has prevailed, but a positive use style “to store programs to view them at a convenient time more than the time of broadcasting” is being established.
Using these techniques, an automatic recording function can be obviously implemented, and products have already been released. More specifically, genres and keywords are registered in advance, and programs which match them are automatically recorded. In some products, by analyzing the history of manual program recording of the user without registering any explicit genres or keywords, the genres and keywords that the user has an interest in are estimated, and automatic recording is done based on them.
Also, an apparatus which determines the priority in consideration of congeniality to a user's taste, the value of information depending on time, and economical efficiency of storage, and automatically stores information that matches the user's taste is available (for example, see Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI No. 11-196389).
However, the conventional program recommendation function is basically a recording assistant function, and helps to select programs to be kept in a storage device from a large amount of broadcast programs, but it is not helpful about the viewing order of stored content. The assistant functions include, e.g., genre-dependent sort, recording date and time order sort, recording recommendation score order sort, and the like. However, these functions are merely obvious list display methods of stored content.
Also, no method of equally evaluating broadcast programs and stored content, and selecting a program or content that the user might want to view now is provided. Put simply, the user cannot select a program or content to view “now” from broadcast TV programs which are streamed in large quantities from multi-channels, and contents stored in large quantities in a large-capacity HDD.